Conventionally, various kinds of clinical examination apparatuses are designed to compare a test result with a predetermined range of normal values so that upon determination that the test result is abnormal, information indicating the abnormality is outputted.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-151282 has disclosed a clinical examination apparatus in which, after normal value ranges for respective examination items have been registered according to the gender and the age range, a determining process for any abnormal value is carried out based upon determination conditions that match classifications of the gender and the age range, in accordance with information of a patent's data.
However, depending on examination items, the handling of a test result tends to change with a specialty of medical field (a department in a hospital), ward, etc., and, in such a case, the determination criteria of a test result are different depending on the respective specialties, wards, etc. For example, in the case of the determination criteria for UTI (urinary tract infection), in general, the test result is determined as UTI when the bacteria concentration in urine is 104 or more pieces/ml; however, in the case of pediatrics, the determination criteria are made severer so that it is determined as UTI in the case of 103 or more pieces/ml, while in the case of obstetrics and gynecology, the determination criteria are made loose so that it is determined as UTI in the case of 105 or more pieces/ml.
In other words, even if a test result is determined simply based upon determination criteria classified only for the physical information of a patient to receive a medical examination, such as the gender, the age range, etc., as has been conventionally carried out, the determination tends to fail to satisfy the individual demand of a doctor, etc. who carries out a medical examination in each specialty, ward or the like, and in such a case, the doctor or the like has to again conduct a determining process in accordance with determination criteria prepared according to each of the specialty, the ward and the like.